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The Marshall islands was the first country in the Pacific region to have access to a COVID-19 vaccine at the end of December, while The Federated States of Micronesia and Palau expect to receive a vaccine this month. Meanwhile, Tonga and other Pacific countries are waiting to have access to vaccines through the global COVAX initiative, possibly toward the end of 2021.

Police arrested 230 people during ‘Operation Finau’ over the Christmas and New Year holidays from 21 December 2020 to 4 January 2021. The Police Drug Enforcement Taskforce also arrested 18 people and seized cannabis and methamphetamine from 16-30 December 2020.

Fourteen people completed a bee-keeping course at the end of last year under a project aimed at addressing the declining number of bees in Tonga, which are vital to food security. By Eleanor Gee.

New York Times reporting: A mob of people loyal to President Donald Trump stormed the United States Capitol on Wednesday, halting Congress’ counting of the electoral votes to confirm President-elect Joe Biden’s victory as the police evacuated lawmakers from the building in a scene of violence, chaos and disruption that shook the core of American democracy.

Two repatriation flights with 280 passengers are planned to arrive in Tonga on 14 January, from Auckland, New Zealand, and Samoa.

The Court of Arbitration of Sport (CAS) has confirmed it is now deliberating and preparing its decision after hearing an appeal on Tonga National Rugby League’s (TNRL) expulsion from the International Rugby League (IRL) last month.

At the current pace of repatriation it will take over a year to return home all of those abandoned abroad. We run the risk of slipping into the depths of economic and mental depression, and we may see the fragmentation of our society, both at home and abroad, if we don’t immediately grasp the advent of vaccines and start building the bridges. At Easter it will be a full year from the closing of the border. It is time to prepare for the “new beginning”, the new life. By Paul Karalus.

Vodafone will consider buying Digicel’s operations in Nauru and Tonga if it brings value for their shareholders, said the Regional Chief Executive Officer of Vodafone Fiji, Pradeep Lal.

Corruption exists in all sectors and its impacts are universally negative, but corruption in public infrastructure is particularly nefarious for low-income countries. Estimates of losses to bribery in construction, which lies downstream from procurement, are as high as 45 percent of construction costs. In some situations, misconduct may not even be considered particularly harmful or wrong by the participants – as illustrated by the oft used term for corruption: the price of doing business. This doesn’t happen in a vacuum; corruption is enabled by the conventions and approaches that have been allowed to develop over time. By Ian Hawkesworth